- Hiring 30 staff to become part of new homeworking division
- New partners: Wendy Wu, Cruise & Maritime Voyages, Cruising Excursions, Do Something Different and Holiday Taxis
- New dedicated excursion and transfers team
On Tuesday this week (22 November), Cruise Nation hosted a glitzy black-tie ‘History in the Making’ event to celebrate a number of exciting new partnerships and developments as a result of the company’s rapid expansion. In the past year, Cruise Nation has increased in size to a total of 50 staff, following 10 recent hires. As a result, the award-winning company has moved to a larger office space to accommodate its growing team. The evening also included the official unveiling of the new staff uniforms during a live fashion show.
New homeworking division
As part of its continued growth, and to attract industry talent from across the UK, Swansea-based Cruise Nation has now set up its own homeworking division and is looking to hire 30 homeworking staff (both full and part time) to be part of this team.
This new division, who will be offered flexible hours, will work closely with Cruise Nation’s existing 50 call centre staff and will be encouraged to also generate sales in their own local areas. They will be able to choose from two homeworking packages: Cruise Nation Lite (commission basis with a joining fee) and Cruise Nation Plus (salary plus commission).
Michelle Martin was appointed as Cruise Nation’s Head of Sales in October and will be responsible for the leadership of this team. Michelle was previously Head of the Homeworking Division at Hays Travel Ltd where she managed 200 homeworkers.
New partners and dedicated excursions and transfers team
Cruise Nation now offers excursions and transfers as part of its packages and has introduced a separate team of three staff who are dedicated to the organisation of these.
Cruise Nation has also brought on board several new partners: the company is now working with Cruise & Maritime Voyages, Britain’s newest privately owned cruise line; Cruising Excursions and Do Something Different for shore excursions; and Holiday Taxis for transfers.
In December 2016, Cruise Nation will begin working with Wendy Wu Tours for on-the-ground support for cruise ships arriving into Asia. Currently, the tours will be incorporated into Cruise Nation’s Smart Packages and will be available to guests travelling with Celebrity Cruises or on Royal Caribbean’s new ship Ovation of the Seas from January 2017.
Plans for 2017
The ‘History in the Making’ event was attended by 160 guests including the Cruise Nation team, business partners, regional and national press and Cruise Nation customers. The event saw the announcement of additional plans for 2017 including a walk-in interactive cruise store which will be based at Cruise Nation’s new office location in Swansea, in-resort representatives for excursions and transfers, the development of a dedicated online TV channel and a global expansion programme which will see online booking become available throughout Europe and the rest of the world.
Phil Evans, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Cruise Nation who recently won the MSC Career Achievement Award said: “2016 has been an exciting year for us at Cruise Nation and we’ve expanded rapidly to meet the huge customer demand. We’d like to thank everyone who has been part of our success so far and are looking forward to welcoming more new team members, homeworkers and partners as we move into 2017.”
Cruise Nation is an award-winning British cruise tour operator, known for offering fly-and-cruise packages appealing to both established cruise passengers and new-to-cruise travellers. The Cruise Nation team pride themselves on creating cruise packages to an exciting range of destinations to suit all schedules, budgets and interests. With their unique ‘Smart Packages’, customers can expect exclusive deals at unbeatable prices, including flights from regional airports and free hotel stays for more than just a cruise holiday.
This year saw Cruise Nation winning Best Online Travel Agent at the 2016 Wave Awards and Best Cruise Holiday Retailer (Silver) and Best Online/ Call Centre Travel Agent (Bronze) in the prestigious 2016 British Travel Awards on 23 November. The company also won four awards at the Hays IG Conference 2016.
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For press information, please contact:
Natalie Garland/Melissa Hobson
Rooster PR
T: +44 (0)20 3440 8927
E: [email protected]
About Cruise Nation
Cruise Nation is a multi award-winning tour operator which aims to make cruising affordable for everyone, whether you’re an established cruise passenger or new-to-cruise.
The Cruise Nation team pride themselves on creating cruise packages to an exciting range of destinations to suit all schedules, budgets and interests.
With their unique Smart Packages, customers can expect exclusive deals at unbeatable prices, including flights from regional airports and free hotel stays for more than just a cruise holiday.
For more information or to book your tailor-made cruise now, call the experts for free on 0800 408 0758 or visit www.cruisenation.com.
